Trust
by EriceGen
Summary: Tails tells Sonic and Sally that he has to return home to attend to something, but does not say what.The duo is surprised by the sudden news and follows Tails, discovering a land totally hidden from others.Now, secrets begin to reveal themselves.
1. So Long

**Trust

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Chapter 1: So Long

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Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog and other related characters. Kyla's my own vixen, so please don't sue me if it resembles anyone dead, alive, or fictional... Okay. That was dumb. I've been reading too many book disclaimers.

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Author's notes: This is my first Sonic fic. This is inconsistent to _any_ of the Sonic series, so don't go telling me 'this character isn't like that!' or 'That's not right!' Got it? Anyway, I hope you people would enjoy the story.

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_/We've been keeping it from them for how long?/_

_/Ever since we came here, brother./_

_/Are you still alright?"/_

_/Yes. I'm fine. For the moment... but if we are unable to do anything soon.../_

_/Damnit! We don't have anything needed here. Only _he_ has what we need./_

_/... It's a never ending circle, isn't it? Everything returns to him, doesn't it? He holds us, even without gracing us in his presence.../_

_/Yeah... I had been afraid of that....../_

_/Is something on your mind?/_

_/You like him, don't you? The other one. Not the same person we were talking about./_

_/...... yes.../_

_/Don't worry, sis. We'll think of a way. Of course, the answer might just come to find us.../ _

_

* * *

_

Princess Sally watched Tails out of the corner of her eye as she talked about the day's events with the rest of the gang. It was technically the ex-freedom fighter team. Sonic, Tails, Bunnie, Antoine, Rotor, Mina, Amy and herself were present. The time being a hot summer afternoon, they were cooling off at the mall.

Sally could tell that Tails was rather distracted even though the younger kit did not show it. They were used to his demeanour. Some time ago, Sally had thought that it was her imagination. But as time passed, she found that her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. Tails was growing, and not just in the physical sense.

He still hung around with them, but slowly, at a rate following that of adolescence, he started to speak up less and kept to himself. Also, Tails was known to show his temper more physically now. The fox still followed Sonic around, but Sally discovered that Tails was starting to act aloof around Sonic, and doing things more independently as well.

The squirrel nodded to herself. Tails was growing and changing. But there was something else about him which did not seem like that of a growing adolescent, and it kept tugging at her mind. However, she had not been able to identify what was it.

"I think I'll hop over to the new shop, kay? Wanna check out what new stuff they have and whether it's good," Tails spoke up during a break in the conversation, taking along his half finished drink.

"I'll come with you, Tails. There might be some new software I can use to upgrade Nicole," Sally stood up as well.

"Okay, Aunt Sally," Tails smiled a little.

"Have fun," Sonic called, before reverting his attention back to Antoine's joke.

Once out of earshot, Sally started a conversation with Tails. "So, Tails, how's school?"

"School's great, but I think I dislike Mathematics. Especially Advance Mathematics," Tails replied.

"Why do you hate maths? I know it's a little hard to study, but everything usually falls into place once you get the formulas, right?"

Tails looked at her with a little grin, his eyes gleaming. "Well..., you're right, Aunt Sally. But I think you misunderstood. I don't find maths difficult. It's too easy. In fact, I believe that I've completed the entire syllabus, while my teachers are still bumbling along the easier sections," he informed her. "But it's for the benefit of others, so I guess I shouldn't complain."

Sally blinked. "Oh my. I'm so sorry Tails, I always forget that you're smarter than most of us," she said apologetically.

Tails sighed. "Don't worry, Aunt Sally. Every thinks of me as a twelve year old kid and treats me accordingly. I'm used to it," he assured the squirrel. "Besides, you're very intelligent yourself. How else did you get us out of the mess made by Robotnik?" he added, earning him a smile from her. "And if I didn't hear your wrong earlier, your father's still giving you hell?"

Sally faked a groan. "I'll say. He drags me to every counsel meeting and tries to get me to make decisions. I mean, why does he need me to decide the day's menu for the mess hall? Okay. I'm fine with decision making, but does he have to dictate what I wear? He doesn't seem to give a damn about how I feel, but he sure puts lots of energy into caring about how I present myself," she rolled her eyes. "Now I know why Elias wanted to run away those years ago," she sighed.

"I know how you feel, Aunt Sally. My sympathies," Tails said softly. "I'm sure you miss Elias, don't you?"

"Of course I do. He's my brother. Even though he tends to side with my father, and I haven't really known him much," she sighed softly. "Well, enough about my family. The Tornado SS is getting along just fine, am I right?" Sally changed the topic to Tails' favourite subject.

"The Tornado SS is doing great! It probably won't be long before it's up and flying!" Tails answered enthusiastically. "The main thing I have to do nowadays is to program the computer and transfer some stuff from the Tornado to the SS. And if your father ever finds out what the SS can do, he'll blow his top," Tails grinned mischievously.

Sally glanced at Tails. "What do you mean?"

The proud owner of the Tornado SS chuckled. "The tornado is a complete arsenal by itself. Missiles, guns, lasers; you name it, the Tornado's got it. It's got a complete stealth coating to avoid detection. Auto pilot and automatic defence systems enable it to control and protect itself, meaning the rider as well. There's remote controlling to ensure that I have complete manual control overriding of commands, if I have to," he listed some of his new plane's abilities. "And as a last resort, the plane can be detonated, exploding with a power equivalent to a couple of energy bombs."

Sally's jaw dropped. "T-that's...! Tails Prower, you are so dead if anyone from the palace was sent to check your plane! Didn't you know about the rule my father set prohibiting possession of any kind of weapons?"

Tails grinned. "They won't be able to find the plane, for one thing. Besides, the weapons were practically scrap metal. They can't do anything by themselves. Most of them require the Chaos Emerald to power 'em," he explained.

"Tails, you scare me sometimes," Sally placed a paw on her face and muttered.

"Anyway, here," Tails reached inside his glove and extracted a chip which had gave to the squirrel. "That's the prototype of the chip I use in the Tornado SS computer. It can boost computer processors. But when you use it on Nicole, you'll find that Nicole will do things very independently. You'll probably need time to get used to it. It'll practically become person-like." (AN: I wanted to put human-like, but I figured it was the wrong word, so I just threw in the closest thing I could think of.)

"Really? Thanks, Tails," Sally planted a little kiss on the kitsune's cheek and ruffled the fur on his head.

* * *

The fur on Tails' neck bristled the moment he entered the apartment he shared with Sonic. There was someone sitting on the couch, and the door had no sign of a forced entry. It couldn't be Sonic since he was still hanging out with the others at the mall. 

"Prowler, Prowler. A pleasure to meet you again after all these years," the intruder got up and bowed slightly, respectfully.

"Kyla. It has been a long time, as you said," Tails greeted. "About time too," he added darkly.

The intruder was a vixen around Sonic and Sally's age. Her fur was creamy in colour except for the end of her tail and the tip of her ears which were light grey. She also had black eye-markings flowing down her face to the base of her muzzle, like tracks made by tears. "Miles..."

"Tails. That is my given name now," he told her softly as he took a seat. "And why didn't you come earlier? I never thought that it would take you this long to find me. You have any idea how long much longer we have?" he snapped.

"I know. That is the reason why I chose to appear now, instead of earlier. Your parents want you back, Tails," Kyla told the kit. "And even you know that only now, would you be most willing to return with me," she bowed her head slightly.

"So. It has come to this, irregardless," Tails murmured. "But why does father want me back?"

"You already know it, Tails. He wants you to take your places next to them," Kyla answered. "And he is the only one with the solution to your problem."

Tails frowned. "How can I be sure that you're telling the truth? It could be a lie you made up to bring me back to my father for his own manipulation."

Kyla took a sealed letter from the pocket of her long pants and a signet from the inside pocket of her jacket and handed it to Tails.

Tails broke the seal. He recognised it. He took out the letter, reading it twice over before sighing and leaning his head back against the backrest of the couch. Can you come back tomorrow? I've still got to tell my friends before I can leave.

"Very well, Tails. Tomorrow, at this time, I'll be back," Kyla came over to him and bent forward, kissing Tails on his lips. "I'm sure that your grandmother would be glad to see you once again," she added before leaving.

Tails' eyes had widened when she kissed him. And remained that way even after she had left.

* * *

"There you are, bud. I thought that you were going to keep yourself locked up in your room all day," Sonic called to Tails as he finally left his room the day after Kyla's 'visit'. 

Tails mumbled something unintelligible before leaving the apartment.

Sonic frowned a little at that. Tails had never been one to be cooped up in his room, unless he was doing something related to mechanics. From what he could not hear from Tails' room, Sonic concluded that the young fox wasn't doing anything mechanical.

He decided to follow Tails since he had nothing to do, and he also wanted to find out why was his little buddy so... moody.

He discreetly followed the young fox, something he found difficult to do. But he did anyway. He ended up following him to the large garden in the middle of Mobotropolis. Tails seemed really distracted, not even glancing behind himself occasionally.

It didn't take the cobalt coloured hedgehog to notice that Sally was waiting for Tails on one of the benches when the youngster sat down next to the squirrel.

"You wanted to tell me something, Tails?" Sally asked the moment the fox sat down. She sensed that something was wrong, something was worrying Tails. "I won't get angry at you even if I don't like what you're going to tell me," she added as assurance.

"I wanted to tell the gang, Aunt Sally. But I didn't know how to tell them," he looked up at her sadly. "I'll be leaving Mobotropolis. Today. And I probably won't be coming back," he told her, looking at his feet, swinging them slightly.

"What?! Why?" Sonic jumped up in front of the two from his hiding place amongst the bushes. So much for being discreet.

"Sonic, what are you doing here?" Sally narrowed her eyes slightly.

"It does not matter, Aunt Sally," Tails muttered. "Like I have said, I will be leaving today. I will be going back to my homeland. I know you found me when I was only five, Sonic, but I do remember my homeland. And my so called guardian came to me yesterday, to pick me up," he told them sadly. "I wanted to say goodbye to all of you one last time before I go, but I did not know what to say, how to tell everyone. It's so sudden that I never really got to think about how to let everyone know. So I decided to meet you and tell you, so that you would tell everyone for me," he hung his head. "I'm sorry."

Sonic sat down next to Tails. "Why didn't you tell us earlier? You know, to prepare for it earlier? You must know that you would be going home one day, right? So why did you keep quiet about it?"

"Because I did not intend to go back home," Tails said bitterly. "I wanted to stay here for the rest of my life. But a problem occurred. So I have to go," Tails gulped, swallowed the lump in his throat.

Sonic was about to ask why, but Sally spoke up first. "It's alright Tails. It's your own private affair as to why you wanted to stay here, so I won't ask you why. I know problems would occur sometimes, so I understand your need to go back."

Tails looked up at his 'aunt', eyes brimming. "Thanks, Aunt Sally," he leaned over and hugged her, tears falling in little streams.

Sonic though about it for a while. He didn't want to leave his best friend alone to face whatever made him want to stay here. He didn't want his buddy to leave in the first place. 'Damnit!' he though to himself. He knew that whatever made Tails need to go back was important, so he couldn't make Tails stay, didn't want to. So...

"Tails, how about we come with you?" Sonic suggested.

"What?!" Tails yelped when he heard that, jumping a little. "You can't!"

Sonic and Sally looked at the fox in puzzlement. "Why not?"

"Because...! Because... you just can't!" the fox panicked. "It's a very private matter, Aunt Sally. I can't have you follow..."

Sally nodded, remembering her former words. "Alright... can you tell me where your homeland is?"

Tails calmed down slightly. "It's not on his continent, Aunt Sally. It's on another continent, one that you'll never know about, never find, unless you're allowed to, or already know where it is," Tails looked the ground.

Both the squirrel and hedgehog arched an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Tails?" a new voice intruded upon them. "Are you ready?" a cream colour fox wearing a dark blue jacket and similarly coloured long pants with boots appeared from the darkness of the night, where the lights couldn't reach.

"K-Kyla..." Tails got up sadly. "I've been very happy with you guys, Sonic, Aunt Sally. I'm glad that I got to be part of the adventure in defeating Dr. Eggman. I won't forget you, and I hope you guys won't as well," he said softly, until it was almost a whisper. "Goodbye..." he turned. "Okay, Kyla. We can go now," he addressed the older fox.

Kyla nodded. "Let us go, then," she led the way. Then she paused. "Where is your baggage?" she inquired.

"On the Tornado SS. I won't be taking the same transport as you. I'll fly my own plane," Tails replied. He turned to look at the squirrel and the hedgehog one last time, waving. "Goodbye..."

Then, he finally left, disappearing into the darkness with Kyla.

* * *

Kydra (AKA author): I've decided to take up this personal fox character of mine for this Sonic fic. Anyway, to clear up some stuff, Sonic and Sally and most of the others are 20 year old. Tails is 12, since he's supposed to be 8 years younger than Sonic. 

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me. I'll try to reply in the next chapter. Also, please note that chapter uploading would be inconsistent since I can only type well when I'm in the mood.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter of Trust. Have a nice day.


	2. Welcoming Committee

**Trust**

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Chapter 2: Welcoming Committee (TheDarknessAndTheLight)

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Dedicated to Eve and Rebecca

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"So... it's just the two of us?" Sonic asked Sally as he sat in the co-pilot's sit in the Freedom Fighter VA, the aircraft used by the Freedom Fighters for missions the past few years.

"What does it look like?" Sally returned as she plugged Nicole into the craft's computer. "Nicole, trace the Tornado SS. That'll give us a direction to follow, since he said that he'd be piloting his own plane," Sally instructed her AI.

"Got it," a computerized voice answered.

Sonic and Sally had stayed in the park for a little while longer than Tails did. They could tell that Tails wasn't all that happy to return to his homeland which neither knew about. Sonic wanted to find out what was making his best friend unhappy, and so wanted to follow Tails and Kyla. Sally was also worried for her friend, and she also wanted to find out if the country from which Tails came from was any threat to Knothole or Mobotropolis.

So they decided to follow the kit. Sally had to return to the palace to pack some luggage and leave a message for her parents and the rest of the freedom fighters, while Sonic followed suit, leaving a note for his parents.

They met at the hangar, boarding the FFVA (Freedom Fighter VA) after clearing the plane for take off using Sally's authority.

"If you two would kindly return to your seats, I will take off now," Nicole informed them. The two passengers buckled in, and Nicole started the plane.

"I wonder why Tails never told us about his homeland, or even talked about it. In fact, I always thought that he was born someone on this continent," Sonic told Sally. "Was it really that big a secret?"

"It might very well be. Tails said that we won't be able to find it unless we already knew about it, or were allowed to know about it. So it must be very well hidden. But I'm more worried about _why_ its location was a secret so closely guarded," Sally stated. "I guess we get to kill three birds with one stone on this mission. Find and solve Tails and his problem, find the location of this continent, and try to establish diplomatic relations with it," she added.

"I can't find the location of the Tornado SS, Sally," Nicole sudden bleeped. "Apparently, the plane has been cloaked. So what do you wish to do now?" the AI inquired.

"Oh gosh. I forgot about Tails' cloaking devise," Sally smacked her forehead with a paw. "Nicole, I guess it's time for you to prove that tail's chip did wonders on you. What course of action do you suggest?"

The AI fell silent for a while as it calculated what they could do to find Tails. "Princess, Tails said that he won't be taking the same transport as his guardian is taking. I believe that it would be possible that we can find her transport's communication frequency seeing that she must communicate with air control to land and park her transport. We can then use the frequency to pinpoint Kyla's transport and follow her instead of following Tails," Nicole outlined its plan. "That is provided that Tails' guardian does attempt to communicate. Otherwise, we would be flying blind in this sky," it added.

"Hmm... that plan's plausible. Is that the only way of finding them that you have?" Sally asked her computer.

"It is the first plan which I calculated would be most effective for finding either, Princess," the computer answered. "So do you wish to follow that plan?"

"Do it," Sonic and Sally said in unison to the computer. It made a noise of affirmation and began tracking. "Nicole, is it also possible to cut in and listen to any communication going in and out of that frequency?"

"Affirmative, Sally. I have yet to find the frequency, but it is possible," Nicole told her. "I assume that you would want me to do that once I find the frequency?"

"Yes please," Sally ordered her AI, pleased with the results. It was working like Tails has told her.

"I wonder if they have chilli dogs there?" Sonic asked. "And whether they accept Credits," he added.

"Good question. I think they do," Sally answered. "About the Credits, that is," she finished.

* * *

Nicole continued to scan all radio frequencies for the next hour while Sally and Sonic slept. It was already quite late and the two had been rather busy earlier in the day. Nicole was incredibly quick for a computer, but there were so many frequencies flying through the air that she needed that time to sort them out.

"Sally?" Nicole lowered her volume so that it came out as the equivalent of a whisper. "Sally."

The squirrel mumbled a little and turned over, not waking up.

:Oh well,: Nicole thought to herself. Instead of trying to wake up the princess, Nicole decided to record all conversations between Kyla and Tails. And if they reach land before either of her passengers woke up, she would request landing.

* * *

"_Tails, how have you been doing all these years?"_

"_... Not too badly. But problems are going to occur, as you already know. I want to know, Kyla. Did my parents really send you?"_

"_Your mother. Your father wasn't all that forgiving. Lady Malkida had a talk with him and made him see sense."_

"_Grandma... Still energetic as ever, I hope?"_

"_Yep. Still taking walks, doing things in her garden... even though she's wheelchair bound now."_

"_...No one told me about that..."_

"_Lady Malkida did not want you to know about it. She didn't want you coming back until it was time, or you felt that you were ready to return."_

"_...... If any good were to come of this, it would be seeing my grandmother again."_

"_I'm sure that Lady Malkida would be pleased to see you again."_

"_We're almost there right?"_

"_Yes we are, Tails."_

"_Good. At least I haven't forgotten where it is."_

"_Prepare for landing."_

"_Roger."_

* * *

Nicole checked the map. There wasn't any land in the area. In fact, they were in the middle of the Central Mobian Ocean, the largest sea area across the entire planet. Suddenly, her video sensors picked up certain areas of shimmering space.

"Princess Sally!" Nicole called, loudly enough to wake both of her passengers. "Look on screen!"

"Wha-?" Sally jumped out of her seat at being woken up. "What is it Nicole?" she muttered, rubbing her sleepy eyes with the back of her paw before glancing up at the video screen. "Holy-!"

"No shit!" Sonic added his chilidog's worth.

On screen, the shimmering patches of space were starting to clear up, in the process revealing land. Both of them looked out the windscreens to make sure that the cameras weren't malfunctioning. After discovering that the cameras were working fine, they stare out at the gradually revealed land in awe.

While most of the land was covered in forests, the central areas of the continent were buildings. A city. A mobotropolis.

"Freedom Fighter VA, this is Control. Welcome. We have been expecting you," a female voice came over their communicator, startling Sally slightly. "Please follow the following coordinates to your landing area and hangar," she(whoever that was) added.

"Affirmative, Control," Nicole answered, proceeding to pilot the aircraft to the designated area while Sonic and Sally looked around. The place was very modern, and from what they could see, high tech. Hover vehicles rushed to and fro on the wide network of roads.

"We're almost landing, Sally. I suggest that you two be prepared for hostiles. They may have been expecting us, but we aren't expecting them, and don't know how they would react," Nicole cautioned.

"Thanks for the warning, Nicole," Sally answered. It hadn't occurred to her that the people might be dangerous. "You heard the lady, Sonic. Be prepared, but don't go trigger happy. Or in your case, smashing happy."

"Fine, fine," Sonic assured Sally. He won't go around smashing things. But if they somehow made his best friend unhappy...

Sally took Nicole off and replaced it at it's usually place at her waist once they landed. "Okay. Let's go," she led the way, opening the exit hatch cautiously.

They had expected an armed escort as they left the plane, but there was no one other than a vixen in formal dress waiting for them.

"Welcome to the hidden continent of Terremant, Princess Sally and Sir Sonic," the vixen greeted them with a quick salute. "I am Quorina, your escort and guide about our continent and our city."

Sally managed to keep her face straight despite the surprise. How had Quorina, or anyone else on the continent gotten word of their visit? "Thank you, Quorina. I'm sure that we will appreciate your assistance."

"How the hell did you know that we're coming anyway?" Sonic demanded. "And not only that. You knew our names!"

Sally wanted to kick Sonic on his shins, but Quorina answered before she managed to.

"We were informed by our computer that there was another aircraft other than the expected two, and once your identity has been verified and your intentions vouched for, we organised your landing. I was then assigned as your escort and guide, seeing that the both of you would be very lost should you be left to visit by yourself," their escort answered simply and politely. "I hope that you won't mind the way we do things, as we have not had a visitor for years."

"The way you handled this situation was excellent. Thank you for being so helpful," Sally replied gratefully.

"Do you have an agenda already planned, or would you rather have a rest at the palace first?" Quorina inquired.

"Well... We wish to request an audience with the king, and I'm sure that it would have to be planned. So I guess that we'll take a rest at the palace first. I would appreciate it if you could help us plan a meeting with the king," Sally told Quorina diplomatically.

"Very well. If you would please follow me," the vixen turned and started off, checking to see if they followed.

"I'm here to look for Tails, Sal. Don't drag me into your meeting," Sonic protested.

"And how are you expecting to find him? You don't know your way around here. And I don't want to run the risk of upsetting someone while we go look for him," Sally countered.

"Come on, Sal! How hard is it to find a two tailed fox?" Sonic replied.

The moment those words were out of his mouth, Quorina turned to stare at him.

Sonic blinked. "What?"

"Multi-tailed foxes are a very... taboo topic. Especially in front of the king," Quorina explained cautiously. "This continent is dominated by us fox species, and mostharbour a mistrust for kitsunes."

"Oh dear... I'm sorry about that," Sally apologised.

"What's with these people?" Sonic muttered loud enough for only the princess to hear. She answered by elbowing him.

* * *

Tails surveyed the hangar as he stood up, his eyes lingering on his father. But as he came down from the pilot seat of his plane, he shifted his view to his grandmother. Wordlessly, he approached them, stopping a few feet away from them. His Tails twitched a little, betraying his discomfort and anger.

"Welcome home," Tails' father looked at him, yet avoiding Tails' eyes.

Silence fell over them again after that greeting, stretching the seconds into hours.

"Yes. I'm back. Or rather, _we're_ back," Tails corrected himself, still staring at his father's face. He carefully watched his father's reactions to his words. Wondering if he had truly thought it over.

"Yes," his father replied, his face struggling a little, in pain, anger and hate.

Tails scrutinised his father for a moment longer, not sure if any of the emotions were directed at him. When he finally decided that he would handle his father later, he turned away in favour of greeting his grandmother. "Grandma! It's been so long!"

"Yes, my dears, it's been a very long time," the wheelchair-bound fox leaned forward to embrace her grandson. "I'm sorry that you had to return at such a time, though," she sighed slightly, tightening her hold on Tails.

"It's alright. It's not your fault," Tails assured his grandmother. "I do hope that father really means what he said in the letter though."

"I do not go back on my word," Tails' father interrupted sharply, causing Tails and Kyla to look at him sharply. "I intend to do as according to that letter I have written. No less."

"Alright. It's fine for the moment, I guess," Tails softened a little, and reverted his attention back to his grandmother. "How did you come to be in a wheelchair, grandma?"

Tails' grandmother smiled serenely. "I'm growing old, Myste. I'm not young and energetic as I used to be, and my bones grow weaker with each passing day," she answered, ruffling the fur on Tails' head affectionately.

Tails gasped. "You can tell us apart?"

"Why of course, Miles. I'm not your grandmother for nothing, dear," she replied, a shine in her eyes. "Both of you are special in your own way. And that is how I tell you two apart."

Tails replied by engulfing his grandmother in an enormous hug.

* * *

Author's Note:

I know I've disappeared for a very long time, but I had been working for the most part. I've also been working on an original fic with a friend of mine, but don't expect it to be out soon.

If you're wondering about Tails, you'll probably find out in the next chapter. Of course, you're welcome to try and guess what I'm doing. And if I'm happy with your ideas, I'll consider adding your idea to the fic. You'll take the credit, of course.

Anyway, I'll continue working on this fic and my Pokemon one when I'm in the mood for writing. A good story isn't good if it's a forced piece of work, right?

Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Till the next chapter then!


	3. Reverse

Trust

* * *

Chapter 3: Reverse

* * *

Dedicated to Becky and Eve, and all the teachers who'd taught me

* * *

Tails stood in front of the door to his room, looking at it tentatively. He had been away from this place for almost six years. But the image of his room was imprinted deep in his mind. He wondered how much had it been changed.

He placed his hand on the wooden material, as if caressing it. Slowly, he slid his hand down to grasp the doorknob. After another moment's hesitation, he turned the knob and opened the door to look into the room.

It was almost unchanged, except for the bed. All his books, toys, posters were still on the shelves, the tabletops, and on the walls. What's more, there was no dust anywhere. The window was open to let air in, so he crossed the room.

Below the window, his grandmother's garden was as beautiful as he remembered, still looking like a scene out of a movie. He smiled happily. Those were the things he had missed and cherished when he ran away.

There was a knock on the door, causing him to turn. Kyla stood there, with another vixen. "Yes, Kyla?" he turned to address the cream-coloured fox.

"Tails, please meet Lady Leisha-ren," Kyla bowed respectfully to him and the other fox before moving away.

Tails regarded Leisha-ren as she entered the room. The vixen had pale green fur, save for her paws, ear tip and tail tip. Her paws were white, the ear and tail tips black. Her deep yellow hair hung down in front of her ears. Dressed in a black dress, she looked classy. But there was something about her that Tails couldn't place his finger on. Ignoring it at the moment, he pushed it to the back of his mind.

"So, you're Tails Prower? A pleasure to meet you," she smiled coyly. "In case Kyla hasn't informed you, I'm your sister-in-law," Leisha-ren informed Tails.

Tails blinked. "What? Gyken got married? Grandma didn't tell me," Tails frowned. It was another indication of what he had missed while he was away. "I'm sorry for not being able to attend your wedding, but I had some matters to be taken care of. Would you mind tell me when it was? And where is my brother anyway?"

"The wedding was almost four years ago, Tails. And Gyken... I'm afraid that he's passed away," Leisha-ren told the younger fox.

Tails staggered a little when he heard her say that. "What? When was it? How did he die?"

"It was about two months ago, Tails. There's a group of rebels who are trying to get the king off the throne. They are angry at being kept here, unable to leave. They wanted to explore the other lands, as well as have people from other lands visit. They claim that it would benefit our entire country. And they attacked Gyken when he was out on patrol. Recently, they have been getting more and more aggressive," the green fox told him.

"Oh god... and Kyla didn't mention this! What has been going on!" he growled angrily to himself as silent tears made their way down his face. "Gyken... I'm so sorry. I should've been here for you... my dear brother..." he growled angrily.

"Are you alright, Tails?" Leisha-ren asked, coming closer.

"No I'm not," he snapped. "But please. Just leave me alone," he whimpered.

"I apologise for heaving to break the news, Tails. Perhaps you might wish to get the details from Kyla. I'll leave you to your rest now," Leisha-ren bowed slightly before leaving the room.

Kyla glanced at the green fox as she entered. "Master Tails, why are you crying?" she inquired softly as she approached. In truth, she had already guessed what had happened. "If it were about your brother, I'm sorry for not telling you. Lady Malkida instructed me not to let you know yet," she told the young fox softly, kneeling down next to him.

"Why, Kyla? Why?" he replied as he threw his arms around her neck and sobbed into the hollow of her shoulder. Gently, she hugged him with one arm, her other hand stroking his hair soothingly.

"This was to avoid placing so much pressure on you, master. Lady Malkida had wished for you to settle down before letting you know," she answered his question as his crying gradually changed to sobs and hiccups. "I too, wishes for you to be settled, and is feeling more secure before I let you know about it. But if you were hurt by my concern, I apologise."

"It's not your fault, Kyla. You were right. This is very pressurising," Tails admitted, downcast, as he continued to hold onto Kyla. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't..." he started as he finally let go of her.

"Nay, master. You needed a shoulder to cry on, and it is my duty to serve to both you and lady Malkida's needs. You have nothing to apologise for," Kyla stood up, hugging the kit. "And I do not wish to see you sad, master. It makes me feel sad too."

Tails looked up at her. "I'm sorry, Kyla. I didn't mean for you to be sad simply because I am. Still, thank you for being here for me," he smiled. Albeit sadly.

Kyla returned the smile. "I suggest you get some rest, master. You'll need to ready yourself for tonight," Kyla reminded.

"Very well. Thank you, Kyla," Tails stood on tiptoes and kissed the vixen's cheek. "You may go back to my grandmother now. I'm sure that you'll inform me when it's time?"

"I'll make sure, master," Kyla smiled serenely, although her smile reflected a hint of his sadness.

Tails sighed and trudged the few steps to the bed slowly, heavily. He took off his sneakers, placing them neatly by the foot of the bed, before lying down on the aforementioned piece of furniture.

He glanced at the familiar ceiling, which he had not seen for many years. He reflected on his relationship with Kyla. Most people who did not know them would assume that he was the young master, while she was a servant. But to him and his grandmother, Kyla was more than just a servant, more than a mere maid. She was their friend, their companion, their confidant.

Tails closed his eyes. He would ask his father to give Kyla a title. She deserved to be placed in ranking higher than that of a servant or maid.

* * *

Sonic lay on the bed, wondering about his best friend. He couldn't think of any reason for the young fox to have to leave them so urgently that he told only the two of them, and on the day he left, no less. He badly wanted to start looking for his friend, but he knew it would be a very difficult task.

He had no idea where his friend was in this place. The citizens of this place might not even have seen Tails, so it would be rather hopeless to ask them. Furthermore, as Princess Sally had already told him, they needed to learn the customs of these people to avoid causing problems. He felt rather angry at himself. Why hadn't he looked out for Tails? He had been ignoring the growing child, letting the gap in their relation ship grow because of their difference in age. How could he have been so insensitive?

"Sonic? What's the matter?" Sally came stood at the doorway, leaning against the wood. "You don't seem to be yourself. You've been too quiet, too... I hope I can forgive myself for saying this, but you've been too inactive."

Sonic sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "I'm just angry at myself, Sal. I should've been looking after Tails better. Instead..."

"Yeah, I understand," Sally answered. "I noticed it too, Sonic. I've been trying my best to understand him. But we just didn't try to know him better. I kinda feel bad too," she admitted.

"I wonder where he is now. I hope he's solving his problems now... and I wonder when we'll be able to see him again."

* * *

Tails slowly opened his eyes to the sound of someone knocking on the door. At once, he remembered. Tonight, he was going to be reverted. The night he had been avoiding these past years for fear that it wouldn't work. But now, it was inevitable.

Still a little drowsy from his slumber, he opened the door and greeted Kyla, who stood outside. "Thank you, Kyla. Can you please leave me alone for a while? I better take a shower and get changed first," he told his keeper who nodded. "Oh. And can you please bring along something for me to eat afterward? I hadn't eaten since last night, just for later..."

His instructions given, he closed the door again. He rubbed his eyes gently with the back of his hand, pausing in front of a mirror on the way to the bath. "Looks like this is it," he muttered to his reflection. "Yeah... I really hope that nothing goes wrong. If it doesn't..." he gulped. "No need to worry. Nothing will go wrong. Or else," he growled.

He lingered there for several minutes, looking at his reflection, committing the image to mind. This was probably the last night he would be looking at this innocent and young face. Finally, he sighed and entered the bath for a quick shower.

Once he was done and had dried his fur, he pulled on a new pair of gloves and sneaker. This was also probably the last time he would be needing these as well.

He left the room and headed to the hall, where Kyla waited to escort him to their destination, the lab which had been kept hidden under the building itself. Their walk to the lad was a silent one. Tails, because he was dreading the result of the process which would be taking place in a few moments, Kyla because she was worried for her master.

When they reached the lab, his father, mother, grandmother and Leisha-ren were already waiting for them, while the scientists and engineers checked the machine for any last minute errors.

Tails stood before his father, both of them staring at each other. Both of them held a grudge which had been there since over six years ago. And now, they would see if each other can be forgiven.

"Lord Sevatar, the machine is ready," the chief scientist reported to Tails' father.

"Very well," Sevatar glanced at the machine which stood in the middle of the lab, before looking at Tails. "Young Prower, everything is ready for you. Today, you will decide to either be reverted and separated, or to remain as you are. But I'm sure you already know the complications of your present state, don't you?"

"Yes I do know, father. We've decided to live our separate lives. For the sake of each other, if not for the throne, as you so insisted that either one of us takes," Tails answered coldly. "At least you're offering us a choice whether we want to take the throne or not."

"As I promised," Sevatar placed a palm on his heart.

Tails nodded. "Well, I guess that we'll be seeing all of you later as ourselves."

Lady Malkida nodded. "I'm sure that you two will be very happy to be able to see each other in the flesh, am I right?" she smiled at the young fox. "Myste and Miles Prower... finally I'll be able to see my grand children all grown up and independent."

The head scientist coughed. "Sir? If we may proceed?"

"Yeah, yeah," Tails waved his hand lazily as he approached the chamber of the machine, taking off his gloves and sneakers. He entered the chamber which closed after him, preventing anyone from seeing the process.

The process of dividing Tails took several hours. Despite the scientists' assurance that nothing would go wrong, the members of the Prower family and Kyla were a little tense. It was true that the scientists had almost twenty years to perfect the machine, but it had only been used once before. The result hadn't been as expected though.

Unbeknownst to his friends back at Mobotropolis, Tails wasn't quite what he looked like. Tails was actually two people. Miles and Myste Prower were born Siamese twins, conjoined at the waist, much to the dismay of their father. They were never seen in public, for Sevatar was afraid that it would raise controversy.

When they were six, their father tried to create a devise which would either separate the twins, or cause them to merge into one body. Since Tails' grandfather was a seer, he had told Sevatar that Miles had to be king.

Gyken had no thoughts of wanting to be king after his father, so it hadn't been too much of a problem with the oldest son. On the day the twins were subjected to the separation process, something had gone wrong with the intended sequencing to separate them, so they had to merge the twins into one form, to prevent any complications.

Sevatar had hoped that Miles' mental strength would destroy Myste's presence, but it had not happened. So Sevatar had ordered Miles to keep Myste's presence in check. This had angered Miles when he found out that this was to ensure that there would be no complications for when he would ascend the throne.

Miles and Myste then swore that they would not take the throne. This, of course, had caused their relation to break apart.

There had been another complication that no one had anticipated. Since both the mental presence of the twins was present in the body of a boy, it would mean that Myste would face problems as they grew up. According to the scientists' calculations, once their body grew to the age of puberty, Myste would grow insane. This would in turn cause mental instability to Miles because of their bonding.

So the twins made a compromise with Sevatar when they were eight. They would remain eight years old in physical body through the effect of physical time reverse. It was a machine which was capable of retaining youth. A mechanical version of the elixir of eternal youth. Unfortunately, there was a side effect of the machine. The more years retained, or the more often the machine was used, the faster one would age.

Simply put, it was similar to a drug. It had to be used more often to attain the same effect. But unlike drugs, there would be a time when the person's physical body would not be affected by the machine anymore. Then, the person can no longer retain youth, instead aging extremely quickly. So if the person began using it at the age of twenty and he has a supposed life of eighty years, he would only live to forty in youth and die due to the aging process within the next year.

So the twins remained in their eight year old form for the next six years. Finally, they could take it no longer and left the continent with the help of their grandmother who supported them unconditionally.

They were found by Sonic who took 'him' in, participated in the Mobian wars and defeated Robotnik, then led the life of a normal growing child for the next four years, which brought them to the present...

"The process is almost finished," the head scientist announced as the machine's hum began to die down.

Silence ensued and activities halted as everyone looked towards the chamber.

Finally, the humming stopped. Bleeping, the computer ran through final checks on logging before shutting down completely, opening the door.

The chamber released gases at the doors opened to reveal the results. An enormous cheer broke out as not one, but two foxes were revealed.

Heyasha (their mother) glided towards the chamber, while Kyla pushed Malkida forwards. In the chamber, the two foxes stirred, stretching as if they had just woken up. As they finally started glancing around, Heyasha leaned in and hugged the two foxes, one arm around each neck.

"I'm so glad to see you both fine, my dears," she murmured to them. "I know I haven't spoken to you both for a long time... and I'm really sorry for what you had to go through."

"Aww... mom!" they answered in unison. Both foxes blinked when they heard their voices.

"Well. Are you two going to stay in there all day?" Malkida called from her wheel chair.

Everyone laughed, the tension dispersing quickly at the success and happiness of the event.

* * *

Author's notes: Gawd this is a disaster! I can't get the ending right no matter how I try. So I decided to do my best. Anyway, the main focus of the chapter was to explain why Tails would both be adults after their separation.

I hate this chapter.

Like always, I'll update when I get into the mood and am able to write better than this chapter. Hang on till then, people!


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